Mid-market rate 1 USD = 16.634332 ZAR (ECB reference, 2026-04-28). Below: how much south african rand the recipient actually receives at three common send sizes, after each provider's margin + fixed fee.
At a $5K-equivalent transfer, Wise delivers ZAR 1,761.27 more to the recipient than Western Union — a 2.13% end-to-end difference.
| Provider | Recipient gets | Total cost |
|---|---|---|
RevolutCheapest App-native; free within plan limits, then ~0.5–1% margin. | ZAR 16,551.16 | $5.00 0.5% |
Wise Mid-market FX with a small explicit fee. | ZAR 16,534.64 | $5.99 0.6% |
OFX No fixed fee; B2B-grade margins on $1K+ transfers. | ZAR 16,492.94 | $8.50 0.85% |
Xe Established broker; competitive on mid-size transfers. | ZAR 16,476.31 | $9.50 0.95% |
Western Union Largest cash-pickup network globally; pricier on FX. | ZAR 16,137.38 | $29.88 2.99% |
Remitly Remittance-focused; cash-pickup networks in receiving countries. | — | — |
| Provider | Recipient gets | Total cost |
|---|---|---|
WiseCheapest Mid-market FX with a small explicit fee. | ZAR 82,772.55 | $23.99 0.48% |
Revolut App-native; free within plan limits, then ~0.5–1% margin. | ZAR 82,755.80 | $25.00 0.5% |
OFX No fixed fee; B2B-grade margins on $1K+ transfers. | ZAR 82,464.70 | $42.50 0.85% |
Xe Established broker; competitive on mid-size transfers. | ZAR 82,381.53 | $47.50 0.95% |
Western Union Largest cash-pickup network globally; pricier on FX. | ZAR 81,011.28 | $129.88 2.6% |
Remitly Remittance-focused; cash-pickup networks in receiving countries. | — | — |
| Provider | Recipient gets | Total cost |
|---|---|---|
WiseCheapest Mid-market FX with a small explicit fee. | ZAR 165,569.94 | $46.49 0.46% |
Revolut App-native; free within plan limits, then ~0.5–1% margin. | ZAR 165,511.61 | $50.00 0.5% |
OFX No fixed fee; B2B-grade margins on $1K+ transfers. | ZAR 164,929.40 | $85.00 0.85% |
Xe Established broker; competitive on mid-size transfers. | ZAR 164,763.06 | $95.00 0.95% |
Western Union Largest cash-pickup network globally; pricier on FX. | ZAR 162,103.65 | $254.88 2.55% |
Remitly Remittance-focused; cash-pickup networks in receiving countries. | — | — |
For each provider:
Provider margins are typical retail-customer figures observed on each provider's own price calculator across major corridors (last reviewed 2026-04-29). They vary by corridor, time of day, payment method, and account tier — get a real-time quote at the “Quote” link in the table for your exact transfer.
We assume bank-funded online transfers, which is the cheapest path everywhere we sampled. Debit / credit-card funding adds 1–3% on top across providers. Western Union's walk-in cash price is meaningfully worse than online; we model online.
Provider links are nofollow + sponsored. Not financial advice. See disclaimer.